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Ever since the Pokémon anime existed, Luther's perspective had always followed Ash.
He watched Ash charge through challenge after challenge, take down all kinds of Gyms, clear an entire region, and step onto the stage of regional tournaments.
Luther naturally assumed that this was simply how things were supposed to be.
However, Luther had forgotten one thing: from beginning to end, the people who appeared around Ash were always the elites of that generation. All of Ash's Pokémon battles, win or lose, took place within circles of the same level.
Gary Oak, Harrison, Paul, and the other rivals Ash met in each series were all Pokémon Trainers with top-tier strength and talent.
Ash himself was practically a cheat code. With all his main Pokémon deployed, he was undoubtedly one of the region's top Pokémon Trainers.
It was the perspective and the reference point that gave Luther an illusion, that Ash was always struggling and still not strong enough.
Yet, in the eyes of countless people, Ash was already unattainable. Luther had found Ash's profile in the Pokémon League's official database, which had been bookmarked by hundreds of thousands of other Trainers, and the number of views was beyond counting.
Ash was someone whose data other competitors would study carefully.
Maylene's words finally made Luther realize just how far Ash had gone and how high he had climbed.
The moment he earned Hakuya's recognition and defeated Candice, he stepped into another world. It was just that along his journey, he had never found a suitable reference point, nor had he ever stopped to reflect, so he hadn't been able to grasp this fact.
"Candice also said that Snowpoint City always welcomes you," Maylene added, covering her mouth and snickering mischievously.
That single sentence completely ruined Luther's moment of self-reflection.
Candice actually sent Luther pictures from time to time, some of her daily life, others related to the Gym.
In return, Luther would send her photos and stories from his travels.
Candice's intentions had always been very clear. Luther hadn't expected that after being rejected, she would still persist, going so far as to have Maylene deliver such a direct shot on her behalf.
Marill even whistled. Kirlia beside her cooperated by covering her face, while Jumpluff stood on Luther's shoulder, shaking her cotton puffs and imitating Maylene's mischievous grin.
Mismagius looked at the reactions of her companions and froze. That feeling of being the only one who didn't get the joke was really unpleasant.
'What happened while I was gone? Who is Candice?'
Only Chansey, upon hearing Candice's name, thought of Delibird, after all, she was still hoping to get another chance to learn a few tricks from Delibird.
Lucario was already in position, yet Marill was still whistling. Luther clicked his tongue, grabbed her tail, and directly tossed her in front of Lucario.
"Whistle again and don't battle properly, and tonight your food portion gets cut in half."
That threat was extremely effective. Marill shuddered and immediately switched into serious mode, patting her belly and glaring at Lucario. The black-belt, muscle-bound men of the Veilstone Gym also came out to watch Maylene's performance.
After all, Maylene's showing would determine the continued existence of the Veilstone Gym. They cared deeply about this and felt it was their responsibility to push Maylene to grow.
There was no referee. Although it was called a one-on-one Gym Battle, it was closer in nature to a sparring match.
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Seeing Marill in position, Maylene launched an attack without hesitation.
A deep blue sphere of light gathered in front of Lucario's palm. Just as Marill set her stance, the Aura Sphere streaked toward her, trailing light.
"Use Iron Tail to knock the Aura Sphere away."
Marill swung her tail, batting the Aura Sphere, which was about to explode in front of her, off to the side. A Machamp stationed nearby to prevent stray move damage sprinted over and, like a volleyball blocker, chopped the Aura Sphere out of the air.
The Gym apprentices wanted to say something, at least let them release their Pokémon and prepare, but Marill and Lucario were already locked in an intense exchange.
The Bone Club, formed from aura power, became Lucario's tool for bullying Marill's short little arms.
Swinging the Bone Club, Lucario continuously relied on its reach advantage, striking at places Marill couldn't properly defend.
Luther greatly appreciated Lucario's combat approach, fully exploiting the advantages of its abilities and constantly compressing Marill's fighting space. That part, at least, was done exceptionally well.
"Rain Dance."
Marill suddenly stopping to use Rain Dance was no different from exposing a flaw herself. However, upon hearing the command, Maylene froze instead and ordered Lucario to retreat.
Luther's eyes lit up.
When sparring with other Pokémon Trainers in the wild, it was often the same, when one openly used a weather move without any defense, it instead made the opponent hesitate to attack.
But if you maneuvered for a while and then chose the right moment to use a weather move, the opponent would charge in without hesitation. Everyone feared hidden tricks. This was something that could clearly be exploited. Luther felt like he'd learned another little battle tactic.
After staying on guard for a moment, Maylene quickly realized that her caution had been taken advantage of. Marill was indeed a bit fatigued after using Rain Dance, but because Lucario had pulled back, she gained the chance to quickly regulate her body and recover stamina.
"So this is one of your styles, Senior? Mixing the real with the fake… No wonder you could defeat Candice. I've learned something."
"Thunder Punch."
"Water Pulse."
Facing Lucario's fist crackling with electricity, Marill showed no fear. She met the attack head-on, spitting out rings of water that washed over Lucario's body.
The super-effective power of Thunder Punch was clearly displayed. Despite her toughness, Marill was sent flying far away, rolling like a ball. She used her tail as a brake, finally stopping her momentum.
Water Pulse didn't deal much damage to Lucario, but the added confusion effect took hold. With eyes glowing red, Lucario suddenly slammed a Thunder Punch straight into the ground.
Only then did Luther truly understand what it meant to "attack oneself while confused."
The Aura Sphere that Maylene had ordered Lucario to use actually self-detonated in Lucario's own palm, blasting his face black with soot.
Using the damage from that explosion, Lucario finally shook off the confusion. At that moment, Marill suddenly leapt out of the smoke. Fueled by Water-type energy, the Aqua Tail was spectacular, from Luther's perspective, it looked as though Marill had gained a massive pale-blue war hammer on her back.
The "hammer" slammed down hard on Lucario's head. But Maylene reacted quickly, ordering the struck Lucario to throw out Drain Punch in the direction of the flowing water.
Drain Punch tore through Aqua Tail like a steel needle piercing tofu. Lucario lightly kicked off the ground, using Drain Punch as his path forward, and charged straight into the Aqua Tail.
That enormous Aqua Tail was itself a weakness. As Marill controlled it, she was completely turned away from Lucario. By the time she sensed the danger behind her and tried to dodge, Lucario's Drain Punch had already struck her squarely in the back.
After stealing stamina, Lucario performed a flawless backflip and landed cleanly. Marill, having nowhere to brace herself, crashed onto the grass, her face and belly making intimate contact with the ground.
"So weak," Mismagius made a face and burst out laughing.
"So weak," Jumpluff echoed, pursing her lips in agreement.
Maylene wasn't about to waste this rare opportunity. Lucario once again used aura power to form a Bone Club and launched a fierce assault. Marill had just gotten back to her feet when the blue-glowing Bone Club smashed down from above. Caught unprepared, she was struck squarely on the forehead.
In pain, Marill suddenly felt extremely irritated.
"Use Ice Punch on the Bone Club."
Luther's command suited Marill perfectly. She punched the center of the Bone Club, mobilizing all her energy and forcefully releasing a wave of cold.
Lucario felt as if he were holding an ice pop. Before he could cancel the aura power and dismiss the Bone Club, the cold spread along it and crept up both his arms. It was already too late to make the Bone Club disappear. Because he was gripping it, Lucario's hands were frozen together.
"Use Aura Sphere to break the ice."
Maylene quickly reacted, using the self-detonation power of Aura Sphere at close range to shatter the ice encasing Lucario's hands.
"Rapid Thunder Punch… don't give Marill time to breathe."
Having felt the power of Marill's attacks, Maylene decided to suppress her offense. Lucario moved swiftly, flashing to Marill's side. Thunder Punch slammed into her belly, which was super effective!
Just as Lucario tried to send Marill flying with the momentum of that strike, he once again realized…
His hand wouldn't move.
The Thunder Punch that slammed into Marill's belly actually froze together with Marill's body, Marill was using Ice Beam on her own belly and on Lucario's hand!
"I don't know if this counts as useful experience, but never try to chain attacks right after landing a hit. Your opponent is already on guard. Reckless pursuit will waste your advantage, and may even lead to defeat."
Even those standing far away at the edge of the field felt the bone-chilling cold. The early spring air was utterly unable to dispel it as Blizzard bloomed above Marill's head.
Lucario struggled with all his might to break free, but Marill was gripping tightly. With shocking strength, she had made up her mind to share the full force of Blizzard with Lucario.
A blinding white light exploded across the courtyard. The tender grass that had just sprouted in spring withered in an instant. White mist flowed across the ground, winding like serpents crawling along the earth.
Lucario and Marill were frozen together, the lifelike ice sculpture already beginning to crack.
Marill flicked her tail, shattered the ice shell behind her, leaned back, and rolled out of the frozen sculpture.
Seeing Lucario still trapped inside, she paused for a moment, then leapt up and slammed a brute-force blow straight into his body, knocking Lucario clean out of the ice.
Maylene hurried over to support Lucario, brushing the ice shards off his body.
"Want to warm up by a fire? My Houndoom should be able to help."
Seeing Lucario still trembling, Maylene nodded. Houndoom was called over and breathed out gentle flames, letting Lucario extend his hands to warm them.
The Gym apprentices who had been watching in stunned silence finally snapped out of it and began commanding their Pokémon to help break up the ice covering the courtyard.
Naomi was just as dumbfounded. Only now did she truly realize what kind of Pokémon Trainer she had impulsively wagered Badges against yesterday.
Maylene, the one who had defeated her brother had lost so quickly.
Yet seeing the joy on Maylene's face after losing, Naomi clearly understood that Maylene had definitely gained something from the battle, something that would let her go even further. As for herself… she felt like she hadn't understood a thing.
At this moment, Naomi truly realized how wrong she had been. Wagering Badges was absolutely something she must never do again. Who knew what kind of Pokémon Trainer she might run into?
Luther had a good temper and gave her a chance to correct herself. If it had been someone else, they might have happily agreed and swept away all her Badges in one go.
Keeping one's feet on the ground, that was the right path.
Maylene was in an excellent mood. She had long heard Candice say that Marill was very strong, especially in terms of raw power and Ice-type moves. Luther had held nothing back, facing her head-on with those two battle styles. After the fight, he had even explained his move selection logic and methods of controlling battle rhythm.
This wasn't just standing in for Candice to give her a lesson, it was also selflessly sharing the techniques he himself had honed.
It was a gift of overwhelming magnitude.
"No need to thank me. I was just reminded of a friend," Luther said.
Maylene tilted her head. "A friend?"
"Hakuya from Whitewind Town. After battling me back then, he did the same thing. And of course, Candice, she taught me without reservation how to control weather and counter weather teams."
Luther was simply passing on the kindness he had received along the way. Without people like Hakuya sparring with him wholeheartedly and giving him chances to learn, how could he have improved so quickly?
Having received so much goodwill, no matter what, he should do something for this world in return.
Maylene was a very resilient child. If she could become an outstanding Gym Leader, then Pokémon Trainers who sparred with her would naturally be able to learn more as well.
Pokémon Trainers and Gym Leaders had always progressed together.
Perhaps in the future, more people would gain something from Maylene and realize their original dreams.
(End of chapter)